Vacuum electric door-mat



G. C. PARKER.

VACUUM ELECTRIC DOOR MAT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.23. r919.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

G. C. PARKER. VACUUM ELECTRIC DOOR MAT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-23, I919.

3 rwe/wto'q Geoge C} Par/{er UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C, PARKER, OF EXPO, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO 1). J. ALEX- ANDER AND ONE-THIRD 'IO ALPI-IEUS FIELDS, BOTH- OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

VACUUM ELECTRIC DOOR-MAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N 0v. 16, 1920.

Application filed September 23, 1919. Serial No. 325,769.

To all w ham it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE C. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Expo, in the county of Norfolk, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Electric Door-Hats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to door mats and it has for its object to provide a construction in which, when a person steps upon the mat, his shoes will be subjected to the action of brushes that will remove foreign matter from their lower portions and in which furthermore, such foreign matter will be drawn downwardly through the mat and discharged at a remote point into a suitable receiver. 1

In the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation f an apparatus embodying the present invention, the near side of the body of the casing being removed to show the means at the corre sponding side, for supporting the slatted depressible member.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken centrally and vertically through the apparatus.

Fig. 4: is a detail perspective view showing certain of the levers for projection of the brushes upon depression of the tread member. 7

Referring now to the drawings, the present apparatus comprises an outer rectangular casing 10 from the bottom of which depends a hopperll, the lower end of which communicates with the casing of an exhaust fan 11 having a dischargepipe 12 leading to wherever it is desired to discharge matter that may pass through it from the casing 10 under the influence of the fan. The fan may be driven by an electric motor 12, or in any other desired manner.

, Within the casing 10 is disposed a rectangular frame 13 that is open at its top and bottom and in the sides of which are journaled a series of transverse, parallel shafts 14, upon each of which is fixed in any desired manner a plurality of spaced disk shaped brushes 15, that project somewhat above the frame, as illustrated. At

one end of each shaft 14 and exterior to the frame 13, is fixed a gear 16 and with the gears of the several shafts, are meshed the gears 17 that are carried by a shaft 18, disposed longitudinally of one side of the frame and having bearings 19, carried by the frame. The gears 17 are worms and are pitched alternately in opposite directions so that the brushes are rotated in pairs withthe adjacent sides of their peripheries downwardly,

The shaft 18 is driven from the motor shaft 19 through the medium of a vertical shaft 20 having at its lower end a beveled gear 21 that meshes with a beveled gear 22 on the shaft 19, the shaft 20 having a worm 23 at its upper end that meshes with a corresponding gear 24 on the shaft 18. With the above described construction, it will be understood that as the brushes rotate the suction fan is operated.

The frame 13 is in spaced relation to the casing 10 and it rests on the anti-friction rollers 25 that arecarried by stub shafts 26 at the ends of levers 27 and 27. The levers 27 are pivoted at points between their ends to the brackets 28 at one end of the casino 10, while the levers 27' are pivoted Beneath the levers 27' is a rock shaft 29 that is mounted in brackets 30 at the corresponding end of the casing 10, and on the rock shaft 29 are fixed the rock arms 31,-.that project at both sides of the shaft where they are provided with antifriction rollers 32 and 33 upon the former of which the corresponding levers 27', rest. Extending upwardly from each end of each shaft 29 and 29', is a crank arm 34 and 34' respectively and these arms, at each side of the rollers 25, the sides of the supplemental casing 36 being slotted,'as shown at 38 so thatwhen the supplemental casing is -depressed, it will not strike the rock shafts 29 and 29. Upon depression of the supplemental casing, which stands normally projectedabove the main casing 10, one end of.

each lever 27 is directly depressed to move upwardly the other end having the roller on which the frame 13 rests. At the same time, downward pressure on the rollers 33 causes upward movement of the rollers 32 and thus is the frame 13 raised to project its brushes 15 above the frame 10 and abovethe supplemental frame 36. The supplemental frame 36 is providedwith slats 39 that are set on edge and which alternate with the brush disks.

In practice the fan and brushes are set in operation and the apparatus is placed just inside the doorway, or wherever elsemay be deemed preferable, the brushes being be low the upper edges of the slats 39, which latter are positioned to be stepped upon by a person passing over the apparatus. As soon as weight is placed upon the slats of the supplemental frame, the latter is depressed and the brushes are raised to consuch as stop blocks 40 disposed beneath the corners of the supplemental frame and carried by screws 41 that are journaled in the corners of the main frame 10. Rotation of the screws in one direction will eifect adjustment of the blocks downwardly while rotation-in the opposite direction will effect A 1. An apparatus of the class. described comprising a casing having a suction apparatus connected therewith, brushes within the casing movable to project therefrom, a tread member and means operable by depression of the tread member for moving the brushes to project from the casing.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a casing, brushes within the easing movable to project therefrom, a slatted tread member depressible with respect to the casing and having its slats alternating with the brushes, and connections between the tread member and brushes operable by depression of the tread member for projecting the brushes from the casing when the tread member is depressed.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising a casing, a frame movable in the casing, levers upon which the frame is supported, a tread member movable in the casing and connected with the levers and under the influence-of depression of which the levers are operable to raise the frame, and brushes carried by the frame and movable therewith to project beyond the tread member, when the latter is depressed.

In testimony whereof, I afiix=my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. v i

. GEORGE C. PARKER. Witnesses:

THos. BowN, WAILES HANK. 

